Things to do in Chicago with kids
10 attractions in Chicago • Updated May 2026
The best things to do in Chicago with kids, all in one place. Chicago is home to Navy Pier and a stack of historic sites & landmarks for families, plus easy day trips across Illinois. Below are 10 family things to do in Chicago with addresses, ticket info and age suitability. Use the search to find a specific name or filter by category.
Published May 2026. Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
Working out when you can actually go? Our Illinois school holiday calendar has term and break dates district by district, including Chicago Public Schools, the main district serving Chicago.
Planning a family day out in Chicago
Chicago has 10 family attractions we would happily take our own kids to. 360 Chicago Observation Deck is the one most families start with. Ride the TILT and lean out over the Magnificent Mile from 1,030 feet up, where Chicago and Lake Michigan stretch out in every direction. Adler Planetarium is the other name that comes up again and again. Lean back under a giant dome as immersive sky shows carry your family to distant planets above Lake Michigan. Chicago Children's Museum rounds out the pick of the bunch. Build, experiment, and play across hands-on exhibits perched right on Chicago's Navy Pier. Also worth your time: Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, Museum of Science and Industry Chicago and Navy Pier.
Published prices run from $29 at 360 Chicago Observation Deck up to $32 at Skydeck Chicago. 2 of the 10 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel. Free entry at Lincoln Park Zoo. Age guidance is worth reading first at Chicago Children's Museum (ages 2-10) and Shedd Aquarium (ages 6+).
Beyond family attractions, families in Chicago also head for historic sites & landmarks (2), science museums (2), aquariums (1) and children's museums (1). If you are ranging wider, everything we cover in Illinois is one click away.
10 attractions in Chicago
Search and filter by category to find your next family day out.
10 of 10 attractions
Historic Sites
360 Chicago Observation Deck
Chicago, Illinois
Ride the TILT and lean out over the Magnificent Mile from 1,030 feet up, where Chicago and Lake Michigan stretch out in every direction.
Science Museums
Adler Planetarium
Chicago, Illinois
Lean back under a giant dome as immersive sky shows carry your family to distant planets above Lake Michigan.
Childrens Museums
Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Build, experiment, and play across hands-on exhibits perched right on Chicago's Navy Pier.
Museums
Field Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Stand beside SUE, one of the most complete T. rex skeletons ever found, at Chicago's landmark natural history museum.
Zoos Wildlife
Lincoln Park Zoo
Chicago, Illinois
See lions, gorillas, and polar bears for free at one of America's oldest zoos.
Science Museums
Museum of Science and Industry Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Tour a real WWII submarine, the U-505, then catch a film on a five-story domed screen.
Theme Parks
Navy Pier
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago's lakefront playground stretches six blocks along Lake Michigan with rides, cruises, and shows.
History Museums
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Live animals, conservation science, and 167 years of connecting Chicago to nature.
Aquariums
Shedd Aquarium
Chicago, Illinois
A Chicago landmark on the lakefront where penguins, stingrays, and freshwater wonders come within arm's reach.
Historic Sites
Skydeck Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Step onto a glass ledge 1,353 feet up for America's highest view of Chicago.